Mike Kendon

Mike is a climate information scientist within the National Climate Information Centre (NCIC). Mike produces, analyses and presents information about the UK climate.

Current activities

Mike's primary role within the NCIC is the production of UK climate information and statistics, both internally and externally (as part of the Met Office Public Weather Service) to agreed schedules.

Examples of routine monthly, seasonal and annual summaries for the UK and its constituent regions which are produced may be found on the Met Office website UK climate pages. The summaries are based on gridded datasets developed from observed data using GIS analysis techniques. These datasets form a key part of the UK's climate record and include gridded monthly temperature and rainfall datasets which extend back to 1910. Mike routinely updates these data to ensure that this climate grid archive is kept up to date. The updating process includes basic Quality Control of these data.

In addition to routine monitoring, Mike also analyses noteworthy weather events affecting the UK (such as droughts, floods, storms, heatwaves and severe winter weather). These events are analysed and placed into historical context, using the Met Office Midas database of historical observations and the UK's climate grid archive. Recent examples of noteworthy weather across the UK include the 2010 to 2012 drought across England and Wales, the floods of summer 2012 and the winter storms of 2013/14. The UK climate pages include summary reports of these weather events.

Photograph: an aerial view of flooding across the Somerset Levels on 2 February 2014.

Colleagues in the Met Office who make use of this information include the Press Office, Operations Centre, Climate Research, BBC Weather Centre and Chief Scientist. External customers for reports and observational datasets include the Environment Agency, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and the Royal Meteorological Society, among others.

Recently, Mike has collaborated with the CEH National River Flow Archive to produce two published papers on droughts and floods. These are listed below.

Career background

Mike has been working for the NCIC since joining the Met Office in April 2009. Before this, Mike spent 3 years working as a hydrologist for Halcrow Consulting Engineers, primarily working on hydrological assessments for flood risk management and water resource studies for the Environment Agency.

In 2004, Mike re-trained as a hydrologist, taking an MSc in Hydrology for Environmental Management from Imperial College, London (with distinction).

Mike originally graduated with a degree in Engineering from Cambridge University in 1996, and has spent several years in the construction industry, working as an engineer both on site and in the design office.

Mike's particular interest is in mountain weather and climate.

Photograph: a view from the summit of Mount Cook, Southern Alps, New Zealand, taken by Mike on 7 January 2002.